The petition of residents of the constituency of Keighley and Ilkley,
Declares that Keighley Picture House has been part of the town’s heritage since 1913 and must be saved from redevelopment by Bradford council.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to work constructively with Bradford council and Keighley town council to guarantee the future of Keighley Picture House as a cinema and cultural venue for generations to come.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Robbie Moore, Official Report, 10 September 2025; Vol. 772, c. 1004 .]
[P003111]
Observations from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Miatta Fahnbulleh):
The Government recognise the important role that community assets like Keighley Picture House play in the vitality and identity of local areas, and the efforts of Keighley and Ilkley residents to save the cinema for future community use. As you will appreciate, local authorities are independent of central Government, and we believe local leaders are best placed to identify local priorities.
We are committed to helping local people to protect community assets. The assets of community value scheme allows communities to nominate locally important buildings or land to be listed by their local authority. We are strengthening this scheme through the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, with the introduction of a new community right to buy. This will give communities the first opportunity to purchase an asset of community value when it is put up for sale by its owner, and an extended 12-month period to raise funding to buy the asset.